KwaZulu-Natal ready for the festive season with enhanced safety operations
As thousands flock to KwaZulu-Natal's stunning beaches and attractions, the province launches a comprehensive tourism and safety initiative at Estcourt to enhance visitor experience during the peak festive season.
Image: Tourism Film
KwaZulu-Natal has officially launched one of its largest festive-season tourism and safety operations at the N3 Ultra City, busiest holiday corridor as the province enters full peak-season readiness.
With thousands of travellers already en route to KwaZulu-Natal’s beaches, mountains and city destinations, the Estcourt activation served as a visible demonstration of the province’s hospitality and its preparedness to welcome holidaymakers.
The activation is part of KwaZulu-Natal’s broader festive-season programme, which supports a projected 1.1 million domestic trips and 34,000 international arrivals in December, contributing to an anticipated R13 billion in tourism spend.
Head of PR & Communications of the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority, Pinky Radebe, said additional provincial travel indicators reinforce this outlook.
“This activation underscored the province’s intention to make its readiness visible and reassuring to every traveller entering KwaZulu-Natal,” Radebe said.
The province’s expectations are backed by strong tourism performance in 2025. Between January and May, Durban recorded 2.8 million domestic trips and 186,000 international arrivals, contributing more than R5 billion to the metro’s economy.
“Research shows that December and January remain South Africa’s peak travel months, with KwaZulu-Natal consistently capturing a large share of this movement. Predictions are that between January and June 2026, the province will record 4.3 million domestic trips and 387,155 international arrivals, contributing a combined R13.4 billion in visitor spend,” she said.
Radebe added that pre-bookings reflect this momentum, with non-hotel accommodation occupancy rising across municipalities and Durban already tracking above 70% for the festive peak.
The season is further supported by a strong cruise schedule, with 66 ships and approximately 110,994 passengers expected to dock in Durban until June next year.
“While Durban is already tracking above 70 percent occupancies, districts such as the North Coast, Midlands, Drakensberg and the South Coast are also reporting strong advance bookings, reflecting broad-based festive movement across KwaZulu-Natal,” Radebe said.
She added that municipalities such as uMkhanyakude, iLembe and Ugu indicated occupancy levels above 80% for the peak Christmas and New Year period. “Domestic arrivals are estimated to increase compared to last year, driven by KwaZulu-Natal’s strong performance in the first half of 2025, while international arrivals may reflect a slight decline due to softer airline bookings,” she said.
“We are confident that KZN will continue to attract high volumes of holidaymakers, even as global air-booking patterns shift.”
Radebe noted that most domestic visitors are expected to come from within the province and Gauteng, while international arrivals will largely come from neighbouring markets such as eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Lesotho, as well as long-haul travellers from the USA, UK and Germany.
Estcourt activation welcomes holidaymakers
Holidaymakers travelling to KwaZulu-Natal were welcomed at the Estcourt Ultra City by the KZN Tourism & Film Authority in collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, KZN Sharks Board, Msinsi Holdings and uShaka Marine World.
The activation created a one-stop festive-season information point where travellers could collect safety information, engage with tourism entities, and receive on-the-spot guidance about routes, attractions and safety protocols.
Participating entities showcased their work — from marine protection and dam-safety messaging to park refurbishments and family-attraction readiness, giving motorists a clear view of what KwaZulu-Natal offers during peak season.
Tourism entities demonstrate readiness
Four major tourism organisations supported the activation, each reinforcing preparedness across their areas of responsibility.
“Our Drakensberg and other nature reserves will see high footfall this December, and our teams are fully prepared for increased visitor activity,” said Siphelele Luthuli, Senior Manager Sales and Marketing Commercial Services at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
“With Ezemvelo’s network of establishments across the province, visitors seeking serenity, nature and scenic beauty have a wide range of protected areas to choose from this festive season,” she added
The KZN Sharks Board confirmed full deployment of shark-safety systems along priority beaches.
“We are working closely with coastal municipalities to maintain uninterrupted net maintenance and strengthen marine-safety awareness for visitors,” said Nombuso Ngubane, Acting Marketing Manager of the KZN Sharks Board.
“uShaka Marine World plays a major role in KwaZulu-Natal’s summer tourism economy, attracting families from across the province and the country,” said Thandeka Magomola, PR and Events Manager of uShaka Marine World.
“We have increased staff capacity across the park and strengthened coordination with beachfront and coastal safety teams to ensure visitors enjoy both the uShaka Marine World experience and KZN’s broader marine offerings with confidence,” she said
Safety operations to continue across KZN
Authorities confirmed that tourism-safety deployments will continue across the province throughout the festive period, focusing on high-volume routes, coastal attractions, inland destinations and major visitor nodes.
“These operations underpin the province’s festive-season plan,” Radebe said. “KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism offering extends from berg to bush to beach – and our readiness must match that diversity. Travellers must feel safe, supported and welcomed wherever they go. We will continue to uphold that standard throughout the festive season and beyond.”
In partnership with the KZN Economic Regulatory Authority, law enforcement and road agencies, Zululand District Municipality and Pongola Local Municipality, the authority also hosted a safety awareness activation at the Nkonkoni Jozini turn-off.
“We are promoting visitor safety, boosting law enforcement visibility, and ensuring a safe, enjoyable festive season across KwaZulu-Natal,” said Radebe.
Visible readiness across the province
“These activations reflect the province’s commitment to maintaining a safe, seamless visitor experience during the busiest travel period of the year,” Radebe said. “Today’s activations show that our enforcement units, emergency services and tourism entities are working side by side to support safe mobility and a positive holiday experience for every traveller.”
The operational rollout at Estcourt and Jozini demonstrated how this readiness translates into practical support for motorists.